Get Out and Do This: Enjoy the Last Gasp of Summer

MANHATTAN — The good news? Labor Day Weekend is coming up. The bad news? Many summer-long events are ending this week.

But there's more good news — it's not too late to get out and enjoy those warm-weather activities you've been meaning to get to all season.

DNAinfo New York has just the plan for you.

Monday, Aug. 26
The rest of the world is back to the grind on Monday, but for a true New Yorker, going out only on the weekends is totally bush league. Some of the best nightlife in the city happens in the earlier part of the week.

Take for example the events at Manhattan Valley’s Smoke Jazz & Supper Club, which on Monday will feature two sets by baritone saxophonist Jason Marshall and the Jason Marshall Big Band. No cover is charged, but a two course prix-fixe dinner is available for $29.95 for the 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. shows. Stick around for the 10:30 p.m. jam session by the John Farnsworth Quintet.

Or, make your Monday especially titillating with a benefit burlesque show for a legend in the business, Dixie Evans, who died in early August. The city’s most notable striptease artists — including Angie Pontani, Jo Boobs and Dirty Martini — will perform at The Slipper Room on the Lower East Side. Nearby, the Mexican restaurant La Flaca will be holding its monthly burlesque event, Temple of the Virgins.

Tuesday, Aug. 27
One of the things at the top of any summer's end to-do list should be one last dose of delicious fresh seafood.

That’s why Back Forty in the East Village is hosting Crab-a-Palooza this week. The farm-to-table restaurant will hold a nightly crab boil Tuesday through Friday from 6:30 to 10 p.m. each night. On Saturday the crab boil will begin at 12:30 p.m. For $45, diners are served piles of crab with side dishes like corn on the cob and new potatoes, and fruit cobblers for dessert. The crab boil will have a communal eating set-up, with seatings every half hour.

Wednesday, Aug. 28
Though the reminder that summer is nearly over is probably not welcome, it’s good to know that there is also at least one week left to catch the summer art exhibitions that will soon leave to make way for autumn shows.

The New Museum will close its Llyn Foulkes exhibition on Sept. 1. As an American painter and sculptor for the last 50 years, Foulkes has developed a fascinating visual style that’s at times surreal and at others explicitly detailed. The museum is featuring more than 100 of his works.

Other shows also ending Sept. 1 include "David Hockney: The Jugglers" and "I, You, We" at the Whitney Museum. "Bronx Calling: The Second AIM Biennial" — a show featuring more than 75 emerging artists in the New York City area — closes at the Bronx Museum of the Arts on Sept. 8.

Thursday, Aug. 29
In a week loaded with last chances, one particularly un-missable event is Bryant Park’s “Accordions Around the World.” Every Thursday this summer, accordionists have played music from all over the world on piano-keyed squeezeboxes throughout the park. For the final event of the summer, six accordionists will play anything from Cajun, jazz, French, Brazilian and Colombian vallenato accordion music in the park from 5 to 7 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 30
Did you get out to the Rockaways yet this summer? It’s time to knock off from work a few hours early, catch some sun and waves via the Rockabus and stick around for a Rockaway Civic Beach Flix at sundown, which in its final week is featuring the animated feature “Despicable Me.” The screening will take place at Beach 121 Street, off the Shorefront Parkway.

If you prefer electronic dance music with your waterside revelries, perhaps this year’s Electric Zoo Festival on Randall’s Island is more your speed. With a roster packed with EDM artists such as Knife Party, David Guetta and Diplo, the three-day event kicks off Friday at 11 a.m.

Saturday, Aug. 31
The weekend is the perfect time to flee (as in flea) the city. Ridgewood, Queens will hold its own artisan flea festival starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. At 59-03 Summerfield St. local knitters, candlemakers, jewlerymakers, bakers and others will gather to sell their wares.

Long Island City, too, has its own artisan market starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday with the LIC Flea & Food. On the Lower East Side, the Hester Street Fair is an outdoor market loaded with vintage flea market finds and artisan foods and crafts, open from noon until 10 p.m. on Saturdays only.

Sunday, Sept. 1
Fashion Week is only a few days away, starting on Sept. 5. That’s why POGO Events is getting fashion enthusiasts prepped for the sartorial onslaught with “The Amazing New York Scavenger Hunt” Fashion Week Kickoff. This three-hour game can be played solo or as part of a team. Download an app called ScanQuest, wear comfortable shoes and take a MetroCard to a location that will be disclosed after you purchase the $20 ticket to play. The game will begin at 12:30 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 2
It’s Labor Day! Rather than do any work yourself, spend some time watching others go through a mental workout at the Williamsburg Spelling Bee. Can the hip brainiacs at Pete’s Candy Store spell "Schlitz Beer" without having to look at the can? Attend at 7:30 p.m. to find out, or sign up by 7 p.m. to participate. Prizes will be awarded.

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